Annabel Lee
by They Call Me Maddie Marie
Summary: It was many and many a year ago in a kingdom by the sea...Freddie knows one girl that is so indescribably beautiful he can't bear to watch.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Annabel Lee

**Rating:** T

**Summary:** It was many and many a year ago in a kingdom by the sea...Freddie knows one girl that is so indescribably beautiful he can't bear to watch.

**My first fanfiction. Please, don't flame. I worked really hard on this, plus my cat (I truly only have three friends in this topsy turvy world, and they are my cats) is really, really sick, so soon I have to take him to the vet, so I'm not in the mood for dealing with flames. I'm really afraid of what the vet will tell me so...I'll stop talking and let you read the story. Also, this story is incredibly, immensely sad.**

* * *

**-Chapter One-  
Poetry**

English class.

Freddie was eager to leave, squirming in his seat awkwardly. They had just started their unit on poetry, what luck. The class was asked to go to the poetry wall and choose one poem to learn and recite before the class. As he was a fan of popular literature, likewise Carly, he had chosen _Annabel Lee_ by Edgar Allan Poe. He didn't realize, however, it was a love poem. True, he knew the story of Edgar Allan Poe falling in love with his cousin Virginia Clemm, but he hadn't a clue that the poem _Annabel Lee_ was composed for her.

He brushed it off as Carly skipped to her seat, her chocolate brown curls bouncing as she went.

"You seem excited for poetry," Freddie mocked.

Carly giggled. She sat down in her seat next to Freddie, tossing her brown locks over her shoulder. "I just chose the hardest poem to memorize," she said proudly, beaming.

"And that's an accomplishment because...?"

"_Because,_ this will be a chance to teach kids how important poetry is to us." She wouldn't stop smiling her beautiful, flawless smile. Freddie's heart melted.

Sam turned from her seat in front of Freddie. "What kind of poem is titled _Spirits of the Dead?_ It sounds like a crappy remake of _Thriller!_"

"I thought you'd like _Spirits of the Dead,_" Carly said. "It has the word 'dead' in the title!"

"I like fried chicken," Sam said plainly. Carly rolled her eyes. "Why can't I just learn _Thriller_ as my poem? I already know half the words anyway!" She groaned, putting her head on her desk.

"Sam, the point of the assignment is to learn a classic poem, not a hit single," Freddie argued. "If you want to learn a hit single, go join melodia!"

"Women's choir? Oh, no way, Benson, I'm not standing with a bunch of sissies and singing about 'the world we live in' and 'we all should be happy' and 'why can't we be friends'!" She sighed. "I need pork."

"We just had lunch!" Carly objected.

"Yeah, and did my lunch contain quality pork?"

"_Yes!_"

Sam sighed and shook her head.

"Hey, Carly, _Said the Rose_ is so long!" Freddie said, observing the length of Carly's poem. Yes, _Said the Rose_ was a horribly lengthy poem by George H. Miles.

"I _told _you!" Carly said, making fun at the nerdy technical producer of iCarly, the popular webshow. "I told you my poem was long, Freddie. I told you. Didn't I tell him, Sam?"

"What?" Sam asked.

Carly sighed and mumbled something about how Sam never paid any amount of attention to anything for more than a matter of seconds, which is probably why all of her goldfish ended up dying.

Freddie sighed as he tried to zone out of Carly and Sam's latest spat. He looked down at his poem, though he didn't read it, not that he could concentrate with Carly and Sam arguing over some stupid little thing anyway. He sighed again. This class was so dreadfully boring.

Suddenly, his blood chilled. He saw a weird image before him:

* * *

_Carly stepped out in front of a bus. He stood in front of the school, tying his shoe, when he looked up. Carly was too busy texting Sam to notice that anything was happening._

_"_Carly!_" he screamed at her, but she didn't hear. "_Carly!_" he yelled louder._

_She still didn't hear. He looked down at his shoe. It wasn't tied yet. He knew he would have to tie it before he could go run out there and save Carly, as he knew one thing: it wouldn't be good to run to save the love of your life when you're constantly tripping over your own feet. _

_His fingers flew. He had to finish tying his shoe, before it was too late to do anything. He tried getting her attention once more, but to no prevail. He saw several people standing there, staring at the scene...why didn't they do anything? Why didn't the driver see her? Why...?_

_He finished, jumping up to go rescue her, but..._

_Her screams filled the air as the bus violently hit her, sending her flying backwards several feet, landing in the road, blood pouring out her head, ribs, arms, and legs. He stood there, his mouth agape, not sure whether to cry, scream, or just walk away._

_The last thing he noticed was her purple Converse, pink skirt, yellow tank top, and purple blazer, which were now blood stained, and her hair eloquently held back in a ponytail._

* * *

He came out of his shock. Had he truly just seen the death of Carly Shay?

His heartbeat ricocheted in his chest. He could even hear it above the buzz of the classroom. Sweat was pouring down his face, his breathing heavy.

"Freddie? Freddie, are you alright?"

He looked up and saw Carly's worried face and Sam's bored face staring at him. Carly's hair was held back in a ponytail—odd, her hair was just down a moment ago—and she was clutching a purple blazer in shock. He looked at her to see the telltale pink skirt. Her legs were crossed, her foot resting on the leg of the desk wearing her new purple Converse that she was nuts about. He realized that everyone in the room was staring at him.

"Freddie!"

"I'm—I'm fine. I just think I need to go to the nurse's office..."

"Freddie, you're as white as a ghost!"

"I just need to lie down—excuse me, Mrs. Shanahan..." he said, grabbing his bookbag and walking out the door, the nurse's lanyard around his neck.

He walked slowly to have his breathing settle. He had just seen, in poignant detail, the demise of Carly Shay. The light of his life, dead...

No, it couldn't be happening. It just couldn't....

He walked into the nurse's office. Sitting down on the cot, he listened to the nurse's monotonous voice. He answered her questions one by one and just sat back and relaxed—that is, until she forcefully shoved a thermometer under his tongue.

"Well, ninety eight point six, normal," she said. "I have no choice but send you back to class."

"I'm feeling better anyway..." he said, standing. "Thank you."

He went back to class, slid in his seat, and read his poem like the rest of his class. But he couldn't force himself to focus, not with what he had seen happen to Carly...

* * *

It was after school. Freddie tripped for the umpteenth time. He sighed, going off to the side to tie his shoelace. How many times in one day would his shoe get untied?

"Hey, Freddie," Carly said. Freddie looked up. "Can I have a ride home?"

"Uh...sorry, Carly, I have to go somewhere right now..."

She shrugged. "Okay, I'll walk." She smiled. "Bye, Freddie!" And then...

She took out her cell phone and made a new text.

Freddie gasped. He rushed to tie his shoe, jumped up, and ran to Carly, screaming, "_No! Carly!_"

She turned, and, right on time, grabbed her around the waist and forced her back...right as a bus went by. They fell to the ground.

"Carly, are you okay?" he asked, pulling himself up, then extending a hand to help Carly up.

"Uh...Freddie...what just happened?"

"What are you talking about? Carly, you almost got killed!"

"But...you were so quick to react. Almost as if...you saw it coming."

"I...I've got to go..."

Freddie ran off, afraid and bewildered.

* * *

**Sorry if that made no sense, there's the next forty chapters for you to figure it out! Yes, there's going to be forty-one chapters, one for each line of _Annabel Lee._ Please review, as I really need it...and God, I hope Com gets better! (Com is my cat.) By the way, this will all be explained if you just stick with me!! And also, Edgar Allan Poe IS my favorite author and poet! He is amazing and has such a way with words! Thanks for reading. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Holy crab! I can't believe it. I woke up the morning after putting this story up and had five reviews! Jesus Christ, man! (Sorry for using the Messiah's name in vain, yes I am a Christian but I couldn't help but say it this one time...if that makes sense!) Anyway, the vet is out of town, so I can't tell you Com is better. I can't believe they do that kind of thing! What do they think they are, people? :P Have fun while you're in DisneyLand and my cat is suffering, asshole! (Sorry, I don't typically use language, but I'm just really angry.) Here's chapter two, hopefully the header will be centered this time!**

* * *

**-Chapter Two-  
Longing**

Freddie walked in the door, dropped his backpack, and went to his laptop to look at the comments on iCarly. Many of them were hatemail from the last webcast, which he had to admit wasn't so great.

_Girlygurll1840: OmG i hate icarly now! it SUCKS!_

_sk8rboi12345: wtf? what was up with that webcast?_

_..xChristina: uh...no comentt? come on, carly, get good agin! i hatd that webcast! it was teribul!._

Freddie couldn't help but think ..xChristina had to learn to spell and have proper grammar.

He sighed, shutting down his computer. iCarly was getting worse and worse as time went on, and he had even pitched the idea of scrapping iCarly. However, Carly and Sam had vehemently shot that idea down. They loved doing the show, even if they weren't getting so many views as they had in prior years. But he had to admit, they were sixteen now; wasn't it about time they called it quits?

His mother walked into the sitting room. Upon seeing Freddie's laptop, she said, "Freddie, have..."

"Yes, Mom, I've done my homework," Freddie said.

She opened her to mouth to speak again but Freddie cut her off.

"Yes, Mom, I took the garbage out this morning, my room is clean, and I took a tick bath last night."

She nodded and turned to go finish the laundry but then realized something: how did Freddie know she was going to ask about his chores? It was pretty random that she asked, and Freddie had his back to her; he couldn't have known she was going to talk.

"Freddie, how did you know I was going to ask that?"

"You said it, didn't you?"

"Freddie, I didn't say a word."

He turned. "What?"

"I didn't say anything, Freddie."

"But I _clearly_ heard you say, _I wonder if Freddie's done his chores._ I heard you."

"But I thought that, I didn't say it."

"..."

"I'll just be leaving then...."

Freddie sat on the couch, bewildered. He _clearly_ heard his mother say that she was curious where Freddie's chores were concerned, but she claimed she thought it, not said it. Then why did he hear it so clearly?

His phone rang. Without looking at the Caller I.D., he knew it was Sam.

"What do you want, Puckett?"

Sam hesitated. Freddie never checked the Caller I.D. Never. "How did you know it was me, Freddork?"

"What?"

"You never check the Caller I.D."

"Never mind that. What do you want, Sam?"

"Carly's in the hospital from the accident this afternoon."

"I know."

"You _know?_"

"I saw the ambulance when I left."

"Yeah, but...Freduardo?"

"Yes, Sam?"

"Carly said...some things..."

"Did she, now?" Freddie said with mock interest. "Fascinating!" he added sarcastically.

"She said that you shoved her out of the way long before the bus was even there, almost as if you knew it was going to happen. How is that possible?"

"I saw the bus," he lied.

"No, you didn't. The bus was barely coming down the street as you shoved her out of the way. You were really far away when you started to run to her. If anyone, Carly would have seen the bus long before you, but she didn't, so how could you have seen it?"

"I...I don't know, Sam. I just don't know." He sighed. "Listen, I've got to go, okay? I've got to, um...read _Annabel Lee_ for L.A.!"

"Okay...bye, Fredweird."

"Bye, Puckett."

He hung up. Was this a coincidence? First the bus thing, then the guessing what his mom was going to say, and now, he knew Sam was on the phone before he picked it up...and without checking the Caller I.D. He shook the thought from his mind.

He went to his binder and pulled out the sheet of paper labelled _Benson, Fredward - Annabel Lee._ He walked back to the couch, clutching the gentle sheet of paper tightly in his hand. He dropped to the couch, looking at his poem for the first time.

_It was many and many a year ago,  
In a kingdom by the sea,  
That there was a maiden whom you may know  
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;  
And this maiden she lived with no other thought  
Than to love and be loved by me._

_I was a child and she was a child,  
In this kingdom by the sea;  
But we loved with a love that was more than love-  
I and my Annabel Lee;  
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven  
Coveted her and me._

There was more but he slammed the paper down. There was no way he could concentrate with all of the thoughts in his head, most of which weren't his own.

_I wonder where I can get a good burger...?_ Sam thought.

_Get out of my lobby!_ 'screamed' Lewbert.

_I wonder if Freddie shampooed his hair twice last night?_ was all his mother had to say.

He clutched his head in agonizing pain, screaming. His head, it hurt so bad...! Why was he hearing other people's thoughts? He fell to the floor, rubbing his temples in pain. He screamed once more before bringing himself up. Suddenly, he crumpled back to the ground once more. He sat up and grabbed his wallet. He was getting out of the house, no doubt about it. He would go to Starbucks coffee. Yes, that was the plan....

He went to the elevator, his wallet in his pocket, _Annabel Lee_ in his hand. He fully intended on reading the entire thing that night at Skybucks. He sighed, hearing more and more people's thoughts as he went down. Finally in the lobby, he emerged from the elevator, picked up his mail from Lewbert, and hailed a cab outside.

* * *

**Crappy ending? Yeah, I'm sorry...not in the mood right now. See ya all later.**


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